Trying not to focus too much on Noah, I turned my attention to the love triangle that is Shane, Mia and Nessa. It was clear that they both liked Shane the way they were both fawning over him.
I was secretly rooting for Nessa although I had to appear indifferent. Mia was growing on me. Her general sparkle lit up a room and it was hard not to notice her beauty inside and out.
“Thanks for making our drinks,” I told Shane, trying to break up the conversation.
“It is my pleasure,” he replied.
Then Noah spoke up. “Let’s eat before we get too distracted to enjoy the five star foods at the Ritz. It looks delicious.”
I took the initiative to start an actual plate, plucking a few grapes and adding some crackers and cheeses. I grabbed some carrots and ranch dip before stepping away with my full plate. I sat back on the couch next to Nessa again and enjoyed my food as everyone made their way up for a plate.
A few minutes later, I looked over at Nessa’s plate as she returned and I chuckle. She had filled it with mostly fruits and a few pieces of cheese. Nessa had a sweet tooth and loved fruits of any kind. It looked like half the tray made its way onto her plate. She flashed me a goofy smile and tore into her food. I just shook my head and returned to my own food.
Once everyone was mostly finished, Noah uncovered the final tray of vanilla and chocolate soufflés. They looked decadent and I couldn’t wait to try one. This meal was better than anything I have had since that horrifying day that I lost Tom. I shook it off and made my way up to Noah.
“I would like a vanilla one please,” I said in a cheerful tone.
“Anything for the lady,” Noah replied as he handed me a spoon with my soufflé.
The minute I sunk my spoon into the frothy dessert and took the first bite, I knew I was in heaven. It was the perfect balance of sweet and light. I let a little mm escape my lips before I could stop it and Nessa grinned. She had finished off her plate and was digging into her own chocolate soufflé.
No one seemed to speak until Shane broke the spell. Nessa had a drop of chocolate on the corner of her mouth and he looked at her and asked, “May I?” before wiping the corner of her mouth with his index finger.
“Thanks,” she said coyly.
The look Mia shot Nessa was pure envy. It was obvious that she wished it had been her. With these three it was clear that the road ahead was going to be tumultuous. Something had to give sooner or later. I did tell Nessa to make her move and I hoped she would tonight. Mia would be hurt, but that was better than this tug of war that was tearing at them all now.
I placed my finished soufflé dish in the tub at the bottom of the room service cart and returned next to Nessa on the couch. I swiped a strawberry off of her plate and she gave me a playful darting look before letting out a chuckle. Then I returned my focus on my vodka lemonade and nursed it while everyone polished off their own plates.
I had already emptied the last of my drink when everyone finished their food and had returned to their own drinks. Noah was quick to make me another. I thanked him and took a sip of the tart and tangy cocktail. I finally felt my edges smooth away and was able to relax. Another drink in and Shane turned on the radio. Dance music fills the room and soon everyone was up and dancing to the infectious music.
I couldn’t help but notice Mia and Nessa crushing up against both sides of Shane and just shook my head. Noah had approached me and I was slowly getting into the groove, his hands on my hips. I tried to put that spark aside and just danced with Noah without regard. It was easier to do with the alcohol wearing me down and I just sank into it.
I hadn’t even realized my eyes were closed until I turned around and opened them only to be face to face with Noah, just a breath away. I just stood there, like a deer in the headlights as he leaned in and kissed me so gently. I wanted to melt under the crush of his lips on mine and give in to the kiss. Butterflies were stirring and I had a hard time catching my breath.
I broke away reluctantly and turned away stunned by the surprising turn of events. His kiss felt like fire melting ice and I wanted to savor it forever. I shook myself internally and threw back another drink. Mia and Nessa were still drinking now almost empty cups so I stopped and filled them, trying to break the spell. They thanked me and I was left to dance once again with Noah.
As I continued to drink, my mind became fuzzier and everything had a haze to it. I was dancing close to Noah, trying not to let my hormones get the best of me. I was struggling to keep myself in check as he pressed up against me and I could feel his heart thumping in his chest.
Nessa had excused herself to use the restroom and I quickly followed her out of the room. That was the last thing I remembered about the night.
Chapter 19:
When I awoke, I was confused as to where the heck I was at first. Then orientation returned and I realized exactly where I was with alarm coursing through my now pounding heart. I was on the couch, draped across a sleeping Noah.
Oh crap. I tried to move, but he only pulled me close and sleepily planted a kiss on my swollen lips. Then real panic set in. My lips were swollen presumably from all the kissing I vaguely remembered.
I bolted upright, more forcefully this time and managed to break away from Noah. Most of my clothes were still intact thank god. My bra was slung over the couch arm and I suddenly felt exposed. I was up and off the couch in a mere matter of seconds, bra in hand. I heard Noah in the background but I was too focused to listen. I tossed my bra back on quickly then I searched the room for Nessa and found no sign of her.
I entered the bedroom and was relieved to see her sleeping there. I was relieved until I realized she was sleeping alone. I wasted no time making my way to the adjoining bedroom, only to find Shane and Mia nestled together in the bed. How could I be so selfish? I should have been there for Nessa last night. Instead, I was just as guilty, draping myself across Noah’s body like a little floozy.
I couldn’t pretend to understand what it must have been like for Nessa. The night was nothing but a blur to me. I couldn’t remember much besides my own name. The dreaded headache from too much alcohol was creeping in and I was fighting off a wave of nausea.
For once, I wish I could have been there for Nessa. She was always there by my side and I was never able to return the favor. Guilt washed over me as I returned to Nessa’s side. I lay on the bed next to her, thinking about things. That was, until she stirred and opened a sleepy set of eyes.
“Hey sweetie, are you okay?” I asked.
“Hmm, no I don’t think so. I have a killer headache and can’t remember a thing about last night.”
I cringed, knowing I was going to have to tell her about Shane and Mia. “I just woke up myself and everything from last night is a bit of a blur. I woke up draped across Noah, lips swollen from kissing. Oh, and I found my bra hanging from the couch.”
This got her attention and she was now sitting up and alert. “You did what?”
“Yeah, it surprised me too. I don’t remember anything else about the night and was quick to part from Noah. That’s when I found you.”
“Where are Shane and Mia,” she asked nonchalantly.
“Umm, they are in the other bedroom together,” I said lowering my eyes.
“Oh. I guess that she won. She got the prize. I snooze, I lose.”
I could tell she was hurt and was trying not to let it show. I respected her for trying to put on such a brave face. That was Nessa, though. She was always protecting everyone, even herself. I just leaned in and gave her a hug.
“I’m sorry honey, I know you liked him.”
“Thanks Cora,” she said her voice wavering.
We just stayed like that for a little while until we heard more stirring in the living room. Nessa pulled away from me and we went hand in hand to face the cavalry.
Noah was picking up the room with a trash sack and Mia was standing in the doorway, Shane’s arm wrapped around her. When they saw us, Shane cast his glance downward and Mia lo
oked sorry more than anything. Her eyes reached ours and she was silently pleading for forgiveness.
I squeezed Nessa’s hand tightly in reassurance and she gave a tiny smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. I could tell she was hurting, but she was putting on that brave front for everyone’s sake. I admired her for her ability to do just so.
Ashamed myself, for destroying Tom’s memory by falling for another man, I turned away from Noah and headed for the suite we originally picked. This time Nessa squeezed my hand and we made it in the room, shutting the door behind us. The minute the suite shut, I dropped down to the floor and the tears I had been holding in were released.
“Oh Cora, it is okay. Tom would have wanted you to move on and be happy, regardless the circumstances. You aren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Then why does it feel that way?” I asked.
“It only feels that way because you loved him so much. He was your world and now he isn’t. You deserve to be happy and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”
“I am going to go take a shower before we get going,” I said, changing the subject.
“Okay, I will go after you get finished,” Nessa said.
I gathered a pile of clothes and stepped behind the door to the shower. Then I wiped my mind of any conflicts and took the time to gather my composure. By the time I had finished, I was light and fluffy. I felt so much better. I tied my hair back in a short ponytail and tossed on the jeans and tee I had picked out.
Once I had stepped out of the bathroom, I saw that Nessa already had her clothes picked out and was packing up the rest of our stuff. Mia was nowhere in sight and I let out a sigh of relief.
“I left you some hot water so you can take your shower next,” I said to Nessa.
“Thanks,” she said.
Thirty minutes later we were all dressed and ready to go. There was an uneasy silence in the group this morning, in the light of a new day. No one seemed to want to discuss anything that happened last night. Stepping out of the elevator, we made our way to the front desk to check out. Noah handed over his ID to the lady at the front desk and she turned away.
When she turned back, she thanked us for our stay and handed Noah an envelope. All of us turned white as sheets. We bid her goodbye and waited to open the envelope until we reached the van, although it was clear who had sent it. The valet pulled up the van and we rushed to jump inside. Noah took up position in the driver’s seat and we waited in silence until we are able to pull over up the street a little ways before addressing the envelope.
I held it with a shaking hand and slid out the card inside. Then I proceeded to read it aloud with a tremble in my voice.
“Hope you enjoyed your night of fun from your life on the run. The clock is ticking and Spokane is waiting. –S.”
Everyone was silent as we absorbed the meaning of the letter. He was still watching us and we were clearly on a time schedule now. The back of the letter showed that same blue embossed symbol. My skin was now covered with goose pimples and I tried to suppress a shiver. I looked up and saw Noah’s eyes penetrate mine in concern. Then Shane took the letter, as if he needed to read it himself to make it real.
“He is watching us. We have to be more careful. I don’t know how but he is and it is beyond creepy. We can’t let our guard down again,” Shane said.
“I agree, we need to find out what is in Spokane and attempt to stop this thing once and for all,” Noah added.
“What if it is a trap? We could be walking into our own deaths,” Nessa said.
“He wouldn’t kill us after all the trouble he went through to make us this way. I think we are just pawns in a game of chess and we don’t get to choose the sides. They have chosen for us,” Shane said.
Finally Mia broke her silence. “My cousin is insane. I can’t believe he dragged me into this nightmare of a mess. We were close, you know.”
“It’s not your fault Mia. We all know this situation is beyond your control. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Shane said running a hand across her back in reassurance.
I didn’t miss the bereft look in Nessa’s eyes as she turned away from them and focused out the window on the mountains in the distance. My heart broke for her, but I couldn’t fixate on her at that second. Noah had the puppy dog look in his eyes and I couldn’t deal with him just now either. I liked him, but Tom still lingered in my mind and the guilt was too much to bear.
I broke away from my thoughts to notice the chill in the car. “Hey Noah, can you turn the air down? It is freezing in here,” I said rubbing my bare arms to warm them.
Noah’s brows knitted as he looked at the knobs. “The air is not on even, but it is freezing in here all of a sudden.”
“What? The air isn’t even on? It isn’t that cold outside, in fact it is warm. What the hell?” I replied.
“Um guys, are any of you cold? We are freezing and the air isn’t even on,” Noah asked.
“Yeah, it is super cold. What’s the deal?” Shane said in confusion.
“I am not sure, but if I had to guess I would say it is a ghost,” Nessa said.
The blood drained from my face at the mention of ghosts. What if it was Tom and he had been with me all along? What if he had super powers too and was a ghost now? That would mean he saw Noah and I kissing last night. That was so not good. Tears began to spring from my eyes and I swiped at them discretely. Apparently I was not discrete enough because Nessa had unbuckled and was next to me in a mere moment.
“Oh Cora, I doubt it is him. It could be anybody. We were in a cemetery a while back you know. We could have picked up a spirit of some sort then,” she said rationally as she wrapped her arms around me in comfort.
Just then, Shane gasped and his eyes rolled back in his head. We all turned in shock as Mia cried out “Shane!” and shook him gently. She tried to bring him back to us. He must have passed out in all the confusion. At least that was what I thought until his eyes snapped open and he stared around the car at all of us in silence. His eyes were dull and lifeless and his face was empty of emotion as he surveyed us.
“Where am I?” he said.
“In the van Shane, don’t you remember?” Mia said with a quivering voice.
“I am not Shane. My name is Liam. I don’t have a clue how this is happening,” he replied with a little more panic in his voice.
“You have possessed our friend Shane. Please leave him alone,” I begged.
“I am so sorry. I couldn’t possibly possess him though, I am not a ghost.”
“Ghost or not, you are and it is really freaking us out,” Nessa piped in.
“Where am I exactly?” he asked.
“Denver, Colorado at the moment, we were just on our way out of town,” I said.
“That is not possible. I am in Spokane and it is empty. The whole city is devoid of anyone except me. It is wicked.”
“Spokane you say? We are on our way to Spokane. Do you happen to know a guy named Stephan?” Noah asked trying to put the pieces together.
“Yes, I am in Spokane. No, I don’t know anyone named Stephan. I was just at a work conference and all of a sudden everyone burnt to ash around me. I am completely freaked out and searching for any sign of life in the city without success.”
“We heard on the news about the whole state of Washington going up in ash. Some guy named Stephan says we will find answers to our questions there,” I said.
“How the hell do I possess someone all the way in Colorado? That is bizarre, and why this guy?”
“Okay Liam, where are you from exactly?” Mia asked with suspicion.
“St. Louis area currently, I just moved for my job.”
At this, my eyes lit up. “We are all from St. Louis except Mia, who is from Salem, Missouri.”
“Really, that is strange. I want to know how on earth I am able to possess someone like this. It is creepy for me and you guys I am sure.”
“You were most likely injected with a sort of amino acid that binds t
o your DNA and changes you genetic structure. That is why you didn’t burn to ash like everyone else. Your ability must have manifested as possession. That is pretty cool, but spine-chilling as well. You must be who we are looking for in Spokane,” Noah explained.
“Why me, do you all have abilities too? Is that why I found you?”
“We think so, and yes, we do. We are on our way to Spokane, we should meet up there and discuss things more,” Noah suggested.
“Okay, I guess that sounds logical. You don’t look like serial killers or anything. Besides, it is kind of lonely up here.”
“Where do you want to meet?” I asked.
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